A Warming Ocean

Record warmth made 2015 a bad year for coral reefs.

2015 El Niño Event

The 2015 “super El Nino” caused extreme warming across much of the tropical oceans. People around the world were stunned as large stretches of Australia’s northern Great Barrier Reef turned white and died.

By December 2015, large areas of tropical ocean were much warmer than normal.

By December 2015, large areas of tropical ocean were much warmer than normal.

Not all coral reefs that experienced these record high temperatures bleached and died. Some bleached and didn’t die, some didn’t bleach at all. On some reefs, corals died but are already making a comeback. All of these coral reefs share a special characteristic: They have figured out how to deal with extreme warming.

We call them super reefs.

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is dedicated to research and education to advance understanding of the ocean and its interaction with the Earth system, and to communicating this understanding for the benefit of society. Learn more »